The central region of Vietnam is expected to be hit by at least two more typhoons, while still struggling with the severe deluge brought about by recent downpours, according to a weather expert.

Many central provinces, especially Quang Binh and Ha Tinh, have been defenseless against continuous torrential rains in the past couple of days, said Le Thanh Hai, deputy general director of the National Hydro-Meteorological Service.

The region received a record-breaking amount of rainfall of up to 747 millimeters within 24 hours between Thursday and Friday, much higher than the previous peak of 555 millimeters on October 9, 1995.

The severe downpour was brought about by the tropical depression forming after typhoon Aere hit the central area, in combination with a cold front, Hai explained, adding that the National Hydro-Meteorological Service had warned local residents of the high possibility of a deluge since Tuesday.

“We had also said that the torrential rains would be similar to those recorded in Thua Thien-Hue Province in 1999 and Ha Tinh Province in 2010,” the deputy general director stated.

Regarding several opinions that the rainfall was higher than forecast, Hai said that such a record-breaking amount was difficult to be accurately predicted.

According to the law of nature, the central part of Vietnam often experiences downpours and floods between September and November, due to the combined effect of a cold front and an intertropical convergence zone, being either a storm or a depression, the expert elaborated.

Rainfall will not reach such a high amount if one of the components is missing, he added.

That there had been no typhoon in the region in the past two years was due to the influence of the El Nino phenomenon, Hai continued, adding that the country is now under the effect of the La Nina event.

As local citizens are still coping with the consequences caused by the flood, many central Vietnamese provinces are anticipated to be impacted by two new typhoons heading toward the East Vietnam Sea, according to the expert.

Super storm Sarika, packing winds of up to 149kph, is likely to approach the country next week, causing a serious deluge in the central region and rain in the northern delta.

Another typhoon, Haima, which has formed east of the Philippines, could also enter the East Vietnam Sea within October, Hai said.